Environmental Preservation at the Abode

(Translated by Douglas Shaw)

Chinese version

"Cherishing and extending the 'life' of material things is also a way of protecting all life and appreciating your blessings." This is the basic concept that Master Cheng Yen teaches her disciples. Since 1990, the Master has strongly promoted the concept of environmental protection, especially through recycling resources and sorting garbage. The resident nuns at the Abode of Still Thoughts have been carrying this out ever since. Garbage at the Abode is sorted into four categories:

1. Compost: fruit peels, leaves, table scraps, vegetable leaves, etc.
2. Unrecyclable, burnable: tissue paper, rags, wood, etc.
3. Unrecyclable, unburnable: glass bottles, styrofoam, plastic bags, nylon rope, etc.
4. Recyclable: plastic soft-drink bottles, milk bottles, steel cans, aluminum cans, etc.

The spirit of cherishing our resources and protecting the earth is visible everywhere at the Abode of Still Thoughts. Over thirty years ago, Master Cheng Yen taught her disciples to use scraps of cloth to make baby shoes, thus recycling resources and protecting the environment. After meals, they rinse their rice bowls with water and then drink it in order to use up every drop of oil and soup. In addition to decreasing the need for dish detergent and reducing environmental pollution, this practice also realizes the spirit of cherishing one's blessings. Furthermore, residents at the Abode use soybean powder or ground bean powder to wash their bowls and chopsticks; everyone can thus eat with peace of mind, and it avoids using chemical detergents and creating more environmental pollution. Although these are only small measures, they are a good way to practice environmental protection and to cherish our blessings.